People know when they are being fed BS - Just because the Libs and NDP do not have their act together does in no way equate to the CPC being loved.
The is a poll on having an inquiry - I think that number was around 65 or 75 %.

But opposition politicians said they won't drop the matter and are hoping public pressure forces the PM to change his mind.

The NDP wants an inquiry, while the Liberals are calling for a royal commission. "The fact of the matter is there is an inquiry by Elections Canada, which is the independent agency authorized to do just that," said Harper.

The Tories say they're victims of "baseless smears" by the Liberals and NDP - who contend the Tories are stonewalling as they push for answers.

Results of a poll conducted last week found that 75 per cent of Canadians support an independent inquiry.

Rae told reporters that while Harper has "nixed" a royal commission, he can't take that position forever. "I think the pressure will grow from the public and, as I've said before, this is not a sprint, this is a marathon."

Michael Sona, the 23-year-old Conservative in the spotlight of the robocall scandal, told co-workers on Parliament Hill he was shocked to learn he'd been named in connection with fraudulent calls in the Ontario riding of Guelph by senior figures in the party.

Anonymous Conservatives have fingered Sona who said he had no reason to believe Elections Canada was interested in him until he was named by unidentified Tories in a report on Sun News Network.

After the report, Sona offered his resignation because of the media attention he knew would follow.

But opposition politicians said they won't drop the matter and are hoping public pressure forces the PM to change his mind.

The NDP wants an inquiry, while the Liberals are calling for a royal commission. "The fact of the matter is there is an inquiry by Elections Canada, which is the independent agency authorized to do just that," said Harper.

The Tories say they're victims of "baseless smears" by the Liberals and NDP - who contend the Tories are stonewalling as they push for answers.

Results of a poll conducted last week found that 75 per cent of Canadians support an independent inquiry.

Rae told reporters that while Harper has "nixed" a royal commission, he can't take that position forever. "I think the pressure will grow from the public and, as I've said before, this is not a sprint, this is a marathon."

Michael Sona, the 23-year-old Conservative in the spotlight of the robocall scandal, told co-workers on Parliament Hill he was shocked to learn he'd been named in connection with fraudulent calls in the Ontario riding of Guelph by senior figures in the party.

Anonymous Conservatives have fingered Sona who said he had no reason to believe Elections Canada was interested in him until he was named by unidentified Tories in a report on Sun News Network.

After the report, Sona offered his resignation because of the media attention he knew would follow.

Harper nixes call for robocall inquiry(external - login to view)

Agreeing with the old adage that "you can't judge a book by its cover", I guess it wouldn't be fair to say that Michael Sona comes across as a slimy little pr*ck!

Locutus

+3

#586

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

A scandalous absence of scandal in robocalls scandal

...

Turns out most of the 31,000 messages it received — the figure that turned the whole affair from a local curiosity into a national scandal — were actually form letters sent via automated online systems set up for that purpose, and didn’t actually spell out any specific complains about robocalls. Most came after MPs started encouraging supporters to feed the rhetoric on Parliament Hill by contacting Elections Canada if they could suddenly remember a complaint, and there’s no telling what proportion of the number came from opposition-affiliated organizations or support groups.

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by Locutus

A scandalous absence of scandal in robocalls scandal

...

Turns out most of the 31,000 messages it received — the figure that turned the whole affair from a local curiosity into a national scandal — were actually form letters sent via automated online systems set up for that purpose, and didn’t actually spell out any specific complains about robocalls. Most came after MPs started encouraging supporters to feed the rhetoric on Parliament Hill by contacting Elections Canada if they could suddenly remember a complaint, and there’s no telling what proportion of the number came from opposition-affiliated organizations or support groups.

Perhaps, what this whole thing is going to boil down to is that the Conservatives have a few "loose cannons" in their midst, albeit far removed from anyone with serious power!

mentalfloss

#588

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by JLM

Agreeing with the old adage that "you can't judge a book by its cover", I guess it wouldn't be fair to say that Michael Sona comes across as a slimy little pr*ck!

I guess it comes with the territory.

It's pretty disheartening to see our majority government is always the last party to get on board with transparency and accountability measures on this. It appears the opposition is really taking it to them, and instead of trying to make good on it, Harper is muddying the waters by pointing the finger back on unrelated issues that have nothing to do with voter suppression.

Colpy

+3

#589

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by Locutus

A scandalous absence of scandal in robocalls scandal

...

Turns out most of the 31,000 messages it received — the figure that turned the whole affair from a local curiosity into a national scandal — were actually form letters sent via automated online systems set up for that purpose, and didn’t actually spell out any specific complains about robocalls. Most came after MPs started encouraging supporters to feed the rhetoric on Parliament Hill by contacting Elections Canada if they could suddenly remember a complaint, and there’s no telling what proportion of the number came from opposition-affiliated organizations or support groups.

Well, yep, we should have an inquiry because there was what amounts to an on-line poll.

The idiots on the opposition still can't accept that the Canadian people booted them......and prefer the Conservatives.

Reality bites, eh Boys???

Reasons NOT to have an inquiry:

It would take years.

It would interfere with current investigations

It would be incredibly expensive.

so far, this has been a tempest in a teapot. Should there develop any REAL evidence of widespread fraud, then yes, nothing less than a Royal Commission would be adequate. But this appears to have been low-level mischief-making, exacerbated by thje MSM trying to create a scandal, and by (as I said) what amounts to an on-line poll........

mentalfloss

#590

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

The only way I would think there needs to be any inquiry would be if Elections Canada mandates it. As Colpy said, its a lot of hassle and expense (not to mention a distraction from the gov't actually ding its job). Public opinion polls and the wishes of the Opposition can be damned.

The only way I would think there needs to be any inquiry would be if Elections Canada mandates it. As Colpy said, its a lot of hassle and expense (not to mention a distraction from the gov't actually ding its job). Public opinion polls and the wishes of the Opposition can be damned.

Question is, is the government doing its job? Is it representing the people or their corporate masters?

mentalfloss

#593

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

A bit of humour from MacLeans.. I love Macleans.. They're so Canadian-like..

Tory operatives, to the brainstormery!Subverting voters won’t be so easy in 2015. Maybe that’s why the PM has been practising hypnosis.

It’s early days, but the ongoing robocalls scandal has already delivered a bunch of surprises. For instance, it turns out some people still answer their home phones. I’m as shocked as you are.

Anyway, what’s important is that the Conservatives had nothing to do with misleading phone calls meant to lure Liberal and NDP voters from their proper polling stations. NOTHING AT ALL. Conservatives love democracy. They’re always talking about its origins as the coming together of two Greek words: “kratos” meaning “power,” and “demos” meaning “gimme.”

Sure, Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament to avoid an election and, sure, his party admitted lying to constituents in Montreal so they’d think their Liberal MP had quit and, yes, Conservatives confessed to violating election finance rules in the 2006 campaign but, on the other hand, awkward silence.

MPs have been armed with talking points to defuse the scandal. They read:

1. We had absolutely nothing to do with any attempts to suppress voter turnout (wink).
2. Don’t actually wink when you say that first thing.

What matters for the future is that subverting the democratic will of Canadians isn’t going to be so easy next time. Voters will be wary, so Conservative operatives will need to find more advanced ways to keep their opponents from the polls.

To the brainstormery!

1. Robo-collars. Disguised as elegant chokers, these collars deliver a painful electric shock to any member of the electorate who so much as daydreams about voting for an opposition party. They can also be configured between elections to function as an appetite suppressant or a way of making a conversation with Vic Toews seem pleasant by comparison.

2. Mass hypnosis. Many of us have attended performances where full-grown adults have fallen under the control of a cruel master bent on making them look foolish. Some of us have seen much the same thing at Conservative caucus meetings. There’s evidence that Harper has already been practising hypnosis in preparation for the 2015 campaign. Why do you think Rob Anders keeps falling asleep? Keep your eyes on the pocket watch, Canada. You are getting very, very Conservative . . .

3. Sinister weather machines. Turnout is way down for elections. It won’t take much to coax even more people to stay away. For example, hurricane-force winds ought to be enough to make voters hunker down in Liberal-friendly Newfoundland. Same goes for four centimetres of snow in downtown Toronto.

But how to manipulate the weather? Cloud-seeding technology has advanced in recent years. Plus, Kate Bush had that neat storm-making contraption in her Cloudbusting video and it’s probably just sitting in Donald Sutherland’s garage. (Young people: just Google it.) Alternately, scientists at Conservative Labs are rumoured to be developing a proprietary system in which John Baird screams at the sky until it surrenders its moisture.

4. Robocalls are great but you know what’s even more effective? Actual robots. Picture the scene: it’s election day, a loyal Liberal supporter is putting on her coat to head to the polls and, whoa, where did her Roomba get that switchblade? Standoff.

5. Freaky Friday-style body switching. Across the country in too-close-to-call ridings, party volunteers are zapped into the bodies of opposition supporters for just long enough to vote Conservative and maybe get a tattoo of a shirtless Peter MacKay across a shoulder blade.

6. Criss-cross. Remember Strangers on a Train? You do my evil deed, I’ll do yours—and no one will ever suspect a thing. Air Canada would seem to be a good fit here. The airline can pepper voters with misleading calls and, in return, all the Conservatives need to do is put me on hold for two hours.

7. Moats. Sometimes the best modern tactic is the best ancient tactic. Just ﬁnd an opposition-friendly voting poll—then gather together some earth-moving equipment, a supply of water and a few crocodiles. All of a sudden, casting that ballot for the NDP doesn’t seem so important, does it hippie? The best part is the deniability factor: those could be anyone’s crocodiles.

8. Offer a positive, compelling vision for the country and behave in a decent, civil manner so that you inspire the support of enough Canadians that party operatives don’t feel compelled to resort to dirty tricks. But that sounds like a lot of work.

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by mentalfloss

I guess it comes with the territory.

It's pretty disheartening to see our majority government is always the last party to get on board with transparency and accountability measures on this. It appears the opposition is really taking it to them, and instead of trying to make good on it, Harper is muddying the waters by pointing the finger back on unrelated issues that have nothing to do with voter suppression.

Is that why you won't answer this question...

Do you support Meier/Racknines lawsuit against Martin?

Locutus

+1

#596

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

Locutus

#597

Re: Conservative 'Robocalls' tricked voters in last election

Mar 14th, 2012

Unlikely a Tory staffer could have acted alone in Pierre Poutine scam: source

A source close the robocalls investigation has claimed it’s unlikely a young Tory staffer could have acted alone to pull off the complicated “Pierre Poutine” scam.

Anonymous Conservatives have repeatedly directed blame at Michael Sona, 23, singling out him alone among a group of workers on the campaign of Guelph, Ont., candidate Marty Burke.

As recently as Monday night, Conservative sources were pointing to Sona in connection to the Guelph robocalls. A CTV News report cited unnamed Conservatives saying he had owned up to the calls amid reports that the investigation had traced an IP address used by “Poutine” to a home in Guelph.

Sona has told co-workers on Parliament Hill he was stunned to learn he’d been named in connection with fraudulent calls in the Ontario riding by unknown senior figures in the party.